| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Thaatsha Sivananthan
Luke Davies
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
MHHX1005
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores how a range of lifestyle choices shape overall health and wellbeing. You will learn about factors such as sleep, nutrition, and physical activity, and how they interact to influence both personal and community health. Through evidence-based approaches, you will discover practical ways to improve daily habits and understand how these factors help prevent and manage chronic diseases. This unit lays the groundwork for further study in health sciences and equips you with valuable skills for managing your own health as well as a career in health. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.
All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.
Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure.
To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.
All extensions need to be formally requested via MQ Service Connect in line with the special consideration policy.
Supplementary assessment tasks will only be provided following an approved Special Consideration application, and only when appropriate.
Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.
Applications for assessment task extensions may be considered for short-term, unexpected, serious, and unavoidable circumstances affecting assessment. Applications must be submitted via Service Connect | Macquarie University For further details please refer to the Special Considerations Policy. You can also find out more on the MQ Student Portal at the following link: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration
Should you encounter any personal issues or concerns in regard to health and wellbeing during your studies you can also gain personal support and advice on campus. Please see the following link for further information: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/personal
The Assessment Task table lists which assessments are eligible for a Short Extension. You can only apply for a Short Extension before the assessment due date. No reason or evidence is required. It will extend the due date by an additional 3 calendar days. You can only receive one Short Extension for each eligible assessment task. Short Extensions are not available if you have already received an IEAP Extension or Special Consideration for that assessment task.
Unless a Special Consideration or Short Extension request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.
For example:
| Number of days (hours) late | Total Possible Marks | Deduction | Raw mark | Final mark |
| 1 day (1-24 hours) | 100 | 5 | 75 | 70 |
| 2 days (24-48 hours) | 100 | 10 | 75 | 65 |
| 3 days (48-72 hours) | 100 | 15 | 75 | 60 |
| 7 days (144-168 hours) | 100 | 35 | 75 | 40 |
| >7 days (>168 hours) | 100 | - | 75 | 0 |
Please note no submissions will be accepted after marked assignments are returned and feedback is released to students.
For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personalised Health Improvement Plan | 30% | No | 28/08/2026 | Individual | No | Open |
| Community Health Intervention Proposal | 30% | No | Week 8 in Class | Group | No | Observed |
| Final Examination | 40% | No | During Final Examination Period | Individual | No | Observed |
Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 27 hours
Due: 28/08/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open
You will review your current lifestyle habits and present an infographic that illustrates how these habits impact your overall health and wellbeing. You will also create a personalised health plan with practical steps to improve your health outcomes.
Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 27 hours
Due: Week 8 in Class
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed
In groups, you will create a proposal for a community health intervention aimed at improving the health and wellbeing outcomes of that population.
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 36 hours
Due: During Final Examination Period
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed
You will sit the final examination held within the University’s formal exam period, in accordance with relevant requirements.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.
3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.
As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of learning activities, including online asynchronous modules as well as in-person tutorials.
Further details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit.
There is no prescribed textbook for this unit. All information you are required to read is contained within the Rise modules in your iLearn site. Please note that the images used in these modules include images obtained from lecture recordings, stock images, and AI image generation tools. All other images have been attributed.
Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will require students to have access to a tablet, laptop or similar device.
Unit Schedule
|
Week |
Topic* |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Health and Wellbeing | |
| 2 | Pillars of Well Being | |
| 3 | Behavioural Interventions | |
| 4 | Sleep and recovery | |
| 5 | Introduction to Nutrition for Health and Wellbeing | AT1 Due |
| 6 | Introduction to Physical Activity for Health and Wellbeing | |
| 7 | Stress and Coping | |
| 8 | Mindfulness, Meditation, and Self-care | AT2 Due |
| Mid Session Break | ||
| 9 | Risky Behaviours | |
| 10 | Social Connection and Wellbeing | |
| 11 | Ecological Models of Health | |
| 12 | Developing Health and Wellbeing Plans | |
| 13 | Consolidation + Exam Preparation |
*Subject to change
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Macquarie University recognises that artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, is rapidly reshaping education and the modern workplace. As AI becomes increasingly accessible, the University and your teaching staff are committed to preparing you to use these tools effectively, ethically, and with strong professional judgment. Rather than restricting technology, the emphasis is on helping you understand when and how AI can be used to enhance productivity, support learning, and reflect real-world professional practice. Across your degree, we will support you to develop the critical thinking, adaptability, and values-based decision-making skills required to navigate evolving AI tools responsibly, including acknowledging their use appropriately. You should always appropriately acknowledge when you have used AI tools within assessment tasks, including which AI tools you have used and how you have used them.
To provide clarity, Macquarie University uses a simple, two-tiered approach to AI in assessment:
AI Open assessments allow you to fully incorporate AI, reflecting authentic tasks where AI would normally be used in professional settings.
Observed with AI Optional assessments involve tasks where you either demonstrate essential knowledge without technology or show how you apply AI under supervision.
Across both categories, the goal is to ensure you build foundational knowledge, exercise sound judgment, and engage with AI in ways that uphold ethical, cultural, and university values.
Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.
In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses. As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.
Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.
Unit information based on version 2026.04 of the Handbook